Fluid-operated turbine engine



Au 5, 192a 1,503,508

G. L. KRABER FLUID OPERATED TURBINE ENGINE Filed Jan. 24. 1921 tion may be used.

Patented Aug. 5, 1924.

GEORGE L. KRABER, OF LAKEW'OOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

THE CLEVELAND INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION OF OHIO.

DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A

FLUID-OPERATED TURBINE ENGINE.

Application filed January 24, 1921. Serial No. 439,445.

To all whom. it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonsn L. KRABER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lakewood, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in F luid-Operated Turbine Engines, of which the following is a specification, the principle or" the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

In the use, in certain classes of tools or devices, of a fluid operated turbine engine of, the sort shown and described, for example, in United States patent to T. Paxton, No. 1,283,423, dated October 29, 1918, the difficulty is encountered that, owing to the high speed of rotation developed, such tool or 'devic'eis diiiicult to control except in contact with the work. In other words, even tho-ugh the power be shut off, the rotor, if under no load, will continue to run for an extended period. One object of the present invention, accordingly, is to provide automatic brakingmeans whereby, in a device of the character in hand, the rotor will bestopped substantially instantly following the shut-oil of the pressure fluid. which constitutes the source of power. Another object is the simplification of the construction of the rotor housing, and particularly of the fluid pressure distributing chamber. At the same time I have incorporated an improved form of valve for controlling the supply of such pressure fluid, as well as means for supplying oil, or equiv alent lubricant to the bearings of the rotor.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then,con-' sists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawing andthe fol-' lowing description setting forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of'the inven- In said annexed 'drawing'zl is a central vertical section of a portable tool, specifically a drill or grinder,- in which is incorporated a fluid operated turbine engine having the present improve-d features of construction; Fig. 1 is a similar section of a detail; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the tool taken on the plane indicated by the line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a detail taken at right angles to the plane of the section of Fig. 2, as indicated by the line 3-3, Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one element of the brake which constitutes a feature of the device.

It will be understood that the particular tool, viz, a portable -drill, shown in the drawing, is illustrative merely of any tool in the use of which the rotor and operative parts connected therewith are apt to be lett free to continue running at intervals so that shutting oii' the power alone will not suffice to promptly stop the same. The tool thus shown comprises a main housing 1 having a tubular extension 2, in which is journaied the spindle. 3 that is designed to have a drill, grinding wheel or other like device attached at its outer end, a chuck 4 being shown on such outer spindle end to receive such drill, or similar tool, with a shank. The upper end of easing l is closed bymeans of a substantially fiat plate 5, in which is journaledv one end of the rotor spindle 6, the other endof such spindle being journaled in a plate 7 of heavier construction that is recessed on its under side to provide a circular chamber for the reception'of the rotor 8, the plate 5 being held in place by being clamped between casing 1 and said plate 7. Ball bearings 9 and 10 are of course utilized thus to" journal such rotor spindle in plates 5 and '7, the lower end of said spindle extending into the" space below plate 5, and having secured thereon a driving pinion 11, which is connected to the tool spindle 3 by suitable intermediate reduction gearing 12, that need not be described in detail. The chamber within'casing 1, in which such pinion 11 and reduction gearing 12 are located, is designed to be partially filled with lubricating oil, or like grease, an opening in the side of the casing, normally closed by a cap 13, being provided for the purpose of filling.

The plate 7, which, as just indicated,

serves as the casing for the rotor, is provided on opposite sides with handles ltand 15, respectively, the line 16, for the air or other-pressure fluid, passing through said handle 14, which is arranged upon appropriate movement to control such supply,

while the other handle 15 is of familiar form and is rigidly attached to said plate. There. is also! secured to the outer face of plate 7 either a screw 18, as shown in full lines, or a breast plate 18 as shown in dot-- ted lines, to assist the operator in maintaining the tool in desired position when in use. The recess in which the ball bearing 10, or the outer end of the rotor spindle, is located, extends beyond such bearing and provides a chamber 17 for oil or equivalent lubricant, and a disk 18 of felt or like absorbent material is secured in the bottom of such recess immediately adjacent the end of the spindle so that the flow of the oil to the bearings will be gradual and affected more or less by the rise in temperature of the bearing. The oil is supplied to the chamber through a suitable filling cap 19,

V as will be readily understood.

The handle 14, which, as indicated above, is utilized to control the supply of pressure fluid, is preferably rotatably mounted on the tubular extension 16, through which the air is supplied and is formed at its inner end, (see Fig. 3) with an internal cam 20, adapted to engage with a plunger valve 21 normally held in seated position by means of a spring 22. By partially rotating such handle 14, however, the valve will be unseated and fluid admitted to the interior of the chamber in plate 7, wherein the rotor 8 is located. In order to distribute the air or other pressure fluid about the periphery of the rotor and properly direct the same against the pockets or vanes on such periphery, an annular chamber is formed in said plate by press-fitting or otherwise fixedly securing in place in the recess in the inner face of the plate a ring 25 of the cross-section shown in Fig. 1. Such ring, in other words, has a portion of its outer face cut away so that when thus secured in'place an annular space 26 is left between it and the outer wall of the recess in the plate 7. A suitable number of openings 27, inclined the proper angle, are drilled or otherwise formed in the ring to allow the air to escape from said chamber 26 in the form of jets that strike against the periphery of the rotor in order to set the latter in motion. By varying the number of said jet openings 27 at the rate of flow of the pressure fluid may be increased or de creased with a corresponding change in the rate of rotation of the rotor. It will be observed, (see Fi 1) that the openings 27 he adjacent the upper side of the peripheral face of the rotor, and that the opening 28 is left between the plate 7 and the plate 5, through which the air is allowed to escape after having done its work. Ihe plate 7 is desirably formed with a down-turned flange 29 that overlies the opening 28 and so serves to direct such escaping air away from the handles 1-4 and 15.

The braking means in the preferred constructional form illustrated comprises a segmental plate 30 of suitable frictional material attached to a flat or leaf spring 31 of the form best shown in Fig. 4, such plate being secured in turn at its one end to the inner face of plate 7 so as to normally cause frictionplate 30 to bear against the juxtaposed face of the rotor. The spring 31 is stifl' enough, and the area of vsaid friction plate 30 large enough, so that when the latter is pressed in contact with the rotor, said rotor is practically instantly stopped if running free. In order to automatically release the brake when pressure fluid is admitted to the chamber 26, a duct or bypass 35 is provided which leads from the inner end of the air connection 16, e. beyond the valve which controls said air line) to a cylindrical chamber 36 in the plate 7, in which is reciprocably fitted a piston 37, located directly over the free end of plate spring 31, to which the friction member is attached. The in ner end of this piston has an operative connection with said spring so that when the piston is moved outwardly such friction member will be raised out of contact with the rotor. This will obviously occur whenever the handle 14 is rotated to admit pressure fluid to the tool, while upon shutting off such pressure fluid the spring again becomes effected to apply the brake. The piston 87 is provided at its outer end with a knob or handle 38, whereby it may be manually raised should occasion demand in order to release the brake, while a conical valve 39 serves to prevent escape of fluid when the piston is in outer position.

The operation of the device as a whole will be readily understood from the foregoing description without further explanation. Aside from the minor features of 'improvement noted above, particular emphasis is placed on the simple construction of the chamber 26 whereby distribution of the pressure fluid is secured uniformly around the periphery of the rotor, and to the braking means which operate automatically to check the rotor immediately upon shutting off the pressure fluid, and at the same time leave such rotor free when the pressure flui'l is turned on again. in particular, may take on various forms, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus, mechanical means connected with the valve-handle may be substituted for the pressure-fluid actuated piston controlled by the air-supply valve.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invent-ion may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, pro- S'uch braking means, .i':

vided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and dis tinctly claim as my invention 1. In a turbine engine of the character described, the combination of a casing, a rotor mounted therein, and a brake comprising a resilient plate directly co-operative with said rotor to stop same when desired.

2. In a turbine engine of the character described, the combination of a casing, a rotor mounted therein, a resiliently supported brake member adapted normally to contact with said rotor, pressure-fluid actuated means adapted to move said member from such contacting position and manually operable means adapted independently thus to move said member.

3. In a turbine engine ofthe character described, the combination of a casing, a rotor mounted therein, a brake member com.- prising a resilient plate adapted normally to contact with said rotor, pressure-fluid actuated means adapted to move said member from such contacting position, and a valve simultaneously controlling supply of pressure-fluid to said rotor and to said means. 1 V

4. In a turbine engine f the character described, the combination of a casing, a rotor mounted therein, a resiliently supported brake member adapted normally to contact with said rotor, a piston reciprocably mounted in a chamber in said casing and operatively connected with said member, and a valve simultaneously controlling supply of pressure-fluid tosaid. rotor and to said piston-chamber, said piston being provided with a projecting knob adapted for manual operation.

5. In a turbine, the combination of a casing comprising two plates with juxtaposed face, one such face being recessed to form a chamber, a spindle supported transversely of said plates, a rotor mounted on said spindle and lying in such recess, and a ring secured in such recess and forming therewith an annular chamber surrounding said rotor, said ring being formed with jet openings through which pressure-fluid may discharge onto said rotor and said plates being spaced apart suiiiciently to permit escape of such pressure fluid after striking said rotor.

6. In a turbine, the combination of a casing comprising two plates with juxtaposed faces, one such face being recessed to form a chamber, a spindle journaled in said plates, a rotor mounted on said spindle and lying in such recess, and a ring secured in such recess and forming therewith an annul ar chamber surrounding said rotor, said ring being formed with jet openings through which pressure-fluid may discharge onto said rotor, and said plates being spaced apart sufficiently topermit escape of such pressure fluid after striking said rotor.

7. In a turbine engine of the character de scribed, the combination of a casing, a rotor mounted therein, a tubular extension connected with said casing for supplying pressure-fluid to said rotor, a valve in said extension adapted to control such supply, and a handle rotatably mounted on said extension and operatively connected with said valve.

8. In a turbine engine of the character described, the combination of a casing, a rotor mounted therein, a tubular extension connected with said casing for supplying pressure-fiuid to said rotor, a valve transversely movable on said extension adapted to control such supply, a spring normally seating said valve, and a handle rotatably mounted on said extension and having an internal cam co -operative with said valve to open the same when said handle is rotated.

9Signed by me, this 19 day of January, 1 21.

GEORGE L. KRABER. 

